Harden erupts for 38, Rockets KO Trail Blazers
PORTLAND, Ore. -- James Harden scored 38 points and dished out 10 assists as the Houston Rockets swept to a 130-114 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday night at Moda Center.
Eric Gordon came off the bench for 26 points and Clint Capela contributed 21 points and nine rebounds for Houston (11-6), which won for the fifth time in six outings.
CJ McCollum collected 28 points and seven assists and Damian Lillard chipped in 27 points for the Trail Blazers (9-10), who lost for the sixth time in their last eight contests.
Harden had 21 points as Houston went into intermission with a 65-62 lead. McCollum topped Portland with 20 points at the break.
The Rockets extended their advantage to 85-75, but the Blazers answered with a 10-0 run to tie it at 85-85. Houston carried a 96-93 edge into the final period.
It was 104-100 with eight minutes left, but the Rockets scored seven in a row to push it to 111-100 with six minutes to play. Capela's layup made it 118-104 with 4:08 remaining. Portland never got closer than nine points the rest of the way.
Both teams blistered the nets as the score was tied 35-35 after one quarter. Harden scored 11 points for Houston while Lillard and McCollum each had 10 for Portland.
The sides battled back and forth through the second quarter, with Portland leading 50-46 before Harden keyed a 14-2 Houston surge for a 60-52 advantage. The Rockets settled for a three-point edge at the half.
NOTES: Portland F Al-Farouq Aminu (calf) missed his 11th straight game. ... Houston came in having won four of its last five outings. ... Houston was coming off a 117-104 win over Sacramento in which the Rockets attempted an NBA-record 50 3-point shots, making 21. ... Houston G James Harden has had three triple-doubles this season, including one with 26 points, 12 rebounds and 14 assists in just 32 minutes in a 126-109 win over Portland on Nov. 17, the last time the teams met. Harden also had a triple-double (23, 10 and 10) against the Kings. "Scoring and assists, you think of Nate Archibald, though he was a different size," Stotts said. "The other guy he reminds you a little of is Oscar Robertson, though I'm reluctant to compare anybody to him."